Christian groups oppose Trump's preference for Christian refugees

A broad coalition of Christian leaders and evangelical groups spoke out against President Donald Trump’s move to rein in immigration from certain majority-Muslim nations, an outcry that risks undercutting the White House’s case for an executive order under siege from protesters and Democrats.

In a letter to Trump and Vice President Mike Pence obtained by POLITICO, the Christian groups implored the two leaders to reverse course on the refugee ban in particular – one of several prongs in Trump’s far-reaching executive order issued late Friday that has triggered international mayhem, especially at airports.

Advertisement

The groups note that as evangelicals who work extensively with refugees, they are “troubled” by Trump’s executive order and urged the White House to “reconsider these decisions, allowing for resettlement of refugees to resume immediately.” In addition to the temporary halt on immigrants from the seven predominantly Muslim nations, the Trump order halts all refugees into the United States for 120 days and indefinitely bars refugees from Syria.

“The Bible teaches us that each person—including each refugee, regardless of their country of origin, religious background, or any other qualifier—is made in the image of God, with inherent dignity and potential,” the groups wrote to the White House. “Their lives matter to God, and they matter to us.”

The signers include the Accord Network, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, Korean Churches for Community Development, the National Association of Evangelicals, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, the Wesleyan Church, World Relief and World Vision.

Trump's open-ended halt to Syrian refugees follows through on a popular GOP campaign-trail promise that faith-based groups have long opposed, particularly those who work on resettling those facing persecution. But the fresh criticism from Christian groups this weekend comes as Trump sends mixed messages about the prioritization of Christian refugees under an order that his administration rolled out with little advance briefing for border officials on the ground now in charge of implementing it.

Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, said Sunday that the "weekend proved to be a dark moment in U.S. history."

"These actions give aid and comfort to those who would destroy our way of life,” Cupich wrote in a Sunday statement. "They lower our estimation in the eyes of the many peoples who want to know America as a defender of human rights and religious liberty, not a nation that targets religious populations and then shuts its doors on them."

Bishop Joe Vasquez of Austin, Texas, the migration committee chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement released the same day Trump signed the order that "we strongly disagree" with its major restrictions on refugee admissions.

"We will work vigorously to ensure that refugees are humanely welcomed in collaboration with Catholic Charities without sacrificing our security or our core values as Americans, and to ensure that families may be reunified with their loved ones."

Trump told the faith-based CBN TV station on Friday that he wanted to see Christians facing persecution receive preferential consideration for refugee resettlement in the U.S., and he tweeted on Sunday that "Christians in the Middle East have been executed in large numbers. We cannot allow this horror to continue!"

But World Relief vice president of policy Jenny Yang, whose evangelical group works to successfully resettle refugees, said the Trump administration is misguided to presume that Christians in the Middle East would benefit from potential exemptions they might receive under the executive order.

"I don't think they understand the risk Christians face when they’re refugees," Yang said in an interview. "Thinking Christians are preferred to other religions actually perpetuates the risk they face" while seeking shelter in the U.S.

Trump delivered a new message about the order late Sunday, asserting that his move was "not about religion" but about keeping the country safe from terrorism.

The Mormon church released its own weekend statement subtly standing against Trump's immigration restrictions. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as it's formally known, called on "all people and governments to cooperate fully in seeking the best solutions to meet human needs and relieve suffering."

Among the thousands of protesters who rallied against the immigration order outside the White House on Sunday was the Rev. Will Green, a pastor at Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington.

"Any Christian who is truly Christian understands that our responsibility is to care for all people, including those who are being oppressed,” said Green, who showed up for the demonstration wearing his clerical collar.

Green said he would welcome a face-to-face conversation with administration officials about the impact of Trump's executive order, but he questioned whether outreach would work: "That assumes that rational conversation is ultimately going to create change within this administration, and I’m not sure that’s true."

Kelly Sampson, a lawyer who joined the White House protest carrying a handmade sign that read, “This Christian Welcomes Muslims,” said she hoped the number of devout Christians pushing back against the order would get through to the Trump administration.

But Sampson, who said she voted for Hillary Clinton in November, nudged Democrats in Congress to play their own part in opposing the immigration restrictions. “I would love to see more fight” from Trump’s opposition party, she said.